46. Chapter 46
Chapter forty-six
~Kitari~
M y body ached. I was crammed into a small space, perhaps some kind of storage area, with my knees pressed to my chest. My arms were pulled tight and attached to my ankles by my wrists; hobbled like a wild kraat .
I breathed steadily into the cold, metal floor. The blood on my face had dried, but I could still taste it on the inside of my cheeks. My nose was blocked with it too. It would be humiliating to suffocate on my own blood.
Bryce was panicking. And I was afraid.
Alphas were not supposed to feel fear, or at least we were not supposed to admit to it. But as the human ship rattled and shook around me, my blood congealing beneath me, I was afraid. Afraid that I would never see my Bryce again. Afraid that I would be killed, and the effect it would have on my parents. Afraid that I would not be killed and whatever torment I still had to endure would be inflicted on Bryce through me.
I had managed to keep the fear at bay by concentrating on more important issues, like Bryce escaping, and being tortured by that evil human. But now, in this tight space, unable to move, with only darkness and the rattle of the ship, the fear engulfed me.
But I could not bring myself to regret any of my actions. Helping Bryce to escape, claiming him, defending him, and trying to protect him. In each situation, I could not—nor did I wish to—have acted any different.
I closed my eyes, although there was no change to the darkness around me. I would face whatever was coming with courage and defiance, and keep my fear locked away. Only Bryce would know. He had shared his fear with me, and now I was sharing mine. As undesirable as that was, it gave me some comfort.
But what would become of Bryce if I died? Would my father watch over him without my soul bond to offer him protection? Would someone else attempt to claim him?
The ship jumped again, jolting my body against the hard metal surfaces on all sides. A faint tingling sensation spread through my left arm due to the strained position. I tried to shift to allow blood to flow through my limbs, but the sensation increased, spreading over my left side. I stopped.
What I had initially taken as fatigue was, in fact, Bryce. Somehow he was getting closer.
There was a deafening bang, the ship rocked suddenly, bucking so much I smashed into the wall, hard. I hissed at the pain, and Bryce’s panic rose in response.
What was happening? It sounded like an attack. I curled into myself as much as possible, ducked my head, and rounded my shoulders, trying to brace against it.
Another shudder and my stomach rolled as the motion changed. We were going down, spinning.
Something clanged, a rush of fresh air over my head, and light filled the small space. I craned my head up and saw rough, brown boots.
“Get out,” the human chief snarled.
I did not know how he expected me to climb from the small compartment with my hands and feet tied, so I snarled instead. He began to pull me, roughly tugging under my arms as he heaved me out. My body, tense with pain, scraped against the metal edges of the hatch. I snapped at his hands, just out of reach, and he swore and then dropped me. I rolled onto my side, finally able to flex my body enough to alleviate some of the aches.
The human chief staggered away over the tilting floor and retrieved a weapon that hung on the wall. He slung the black greasy thing over his shoulder.
From this angle, I could see out of the far viewscreen. The ship was listing heavily to one side, the ground wheeling beneath us and growing rapidly closer. Through an opening ahead, I could see the pilot of the ship struggling with the controls. The human chief scrambled over and held onto their seat to keep himself upright.
“I think I can set her down, Chief,” the pilot said. “Although it’s gonna be a bumpy landing.”
The human chief grabbed the pilot by his collar and pulled him toward his face. “No, you get this thing back up, not down. That’s a fucking order.”
The pilot gaped. “I’m sorry, sir, but the thrusters are gone. The only thing I can do now is try to find an open space big enough.”
The human chief threw the pilot back down into his seat and set his eyes on me.
In the viewscreen behind him, a white flash passed as we wheeled around. An Aldar ship.
Bryce was on that ship. I felt a fierce spike of pride. My brave, resourceful human. I should have known he would not be far behind me.
The ship dipped and skimmed over the canopy. Branches crashed along its underside, making it buck and wheel. I bared my teeth.
“You will regret hurting me,” I snarled at the human chief. “Bryce will not stop, and my father will punish you severely.”
The human chief grabbed my neck, squeezing until my mouth fell open to breathe. He stared into my eyes; it was like staring into an oncoming electrical storm.
“You’re mine, one way or another.” His lips twisted up. “I always complete my mission.”
The ship hit something hard. There was a screech of twisting metal so loud it made my ears hurt, and the side of the ship disappeared in a flurry of branches and metal debris as it was torn away. Wind rushed in with pelting debris.
The human chief tipped towards the opening, still gripped onto my throat, dragging me with him across the floor. We teetered on the edge, sharp metal slicing into my hip as the world ripped past beneath us.
The ship righted for a single moment, rising above the canopy, then there was another impact.
The world tipped.
We fell.